Language/Swedish/Vocabulary/Going-to-a-restaurant

Swedish Vocabulary → Introduction to Swedish → Going to a restaurant

In this lesson, we will learn how to order food and drinks in Swedish at a restaurant. It's essential to know some basic vocabulary and expressions to avoid confusion and enjoy your meal.

Vocabulary

Here are some essential words and phrases to know when visiting a Swedish restaurant:

Swedish	Pronunciation	English
Mat	mɑt	Food
Dryck	drʏkː	Drink
Meny	mɛny	Menu
Förrätt	fœr'ɛtː	Appetizer
Huvudrätt	hʉvɵd'rɛtː	Main course
Efterrätt	'ɛftɛr'ɛtː	Dessert
Vatten	'vatːɛn	Water
Öl	øːl	Beer
Vin	viːn	Wine
Kaffe	'kafːɛ	Coffee
Tack	takː	Thank you
Ja	jaː	Yes
Nej	nɛj	No

Expressions

Here are some useful expressions when ordering food and drinks at a restaurant:

• En bord för {number} personer, tack. (A table for {number} people, please.)
• Kan vi få se menyn, tack? (Can we see the menu, please?)
• Vad kan du rekommendera? (What can you recommend?)
• Jag vill gärna ha {dish}. (I would like to have {dish}.)
• Hur vill du ha {dish}? (How do you want your {dish}?)
• Medium, tack. (Medium, please.)
• Kan jag få {drink}, tack? (Can I have {drink}, please?)
• En annan sak, tack. (Something else, please.)
• Notan, tack. (The check, please.)

Culture Corner

In Sweden, it's common to pay for the meal at the register instead of waiting for the server to bring the check. It's also customary to tip around 10%, but it's not mandatory, as service fees are often included in the bill. In many restaurants, it's also possible to order "dagens rätt," which is the dish of the day and usually an affordable option.

Practice

• Role-play a conversation at a Swedish restaurant. Practice ordering food and drinks, asking for the check, and thanking the server.
• Watch a Swedish cooking show or food-related video and try to recognize some of the words and phrases we've learned in this lesson.

Sources

• Swedish Language
• Cuisine of Sweden

Table of Contents - Swedish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Swedish

• Greeting people
• Saying goodbye
• Asking for directions
• Going to a restaurant

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Swedish Pronouns

• Personal pronouns
• Reflexive pronouns
• Demonstrative pronouns
• Possessive pronouns

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Colors and Numbers

• Colors
• Numbers 0-20
• Numbers 20-100
• Numbers above 100

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Swedish Culture

• Swedish customs
• Swedish food
• Swedish holidays
• Swedish geography

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Swedish Verbs

• Present tense
• Past tense
• Future tense
• Verbs with prepositions

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Body parts and health

• Body parts
• Symptoms and illnesses
• At the doctor's

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Swedish Nouns

• Gender of nouns
• Definite and indefinite nouns
• Plural nouns

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Travel and directions

• Means of transportation
• Booking a trip
• Giving directions

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Sweden's history

• Vikings and Middle Ages
• Modern Sweden
• Swedish politics and society

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Swedish Adjectives

• Basic adjectives
• Comparison of adjectives
• Compound adjectives

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Jobs and professions

• Types of jobs
• Job applications and interviews
• Workplace Swedish